Yesterday I attended a launch by the Film Aid of their new website Dadaab Stories. This is not your typical website. Neither is it your typical refugee story!

When you hear about Dadaab Refugee Camp, the picture that flashes in your mind is what the news channels have been feeding us over the years. Malnourished children, fighting no end and tents that no human should live in. Granted, these stories exist in the camps. What you never realise is that within this camp, ordinary lives are going on! Children are being born, others are going to school, businesses are thriving, teenage boys are hitting on teenage girls… You know, the usual, including this amazing music video, Dear Mr. Peace by the young people from Dadaab!

Dadaab Refugee Camp has over 500,000 Refugees. These people have been around for years, and while it started as a temporary shelter for them, it has become pretty much their home. The Dadaab Stories website seeks to highlight that. What is even more fascinating, the stories are told and recorded by the Refugees themselves! Yes, even film making is going on in this very large town. It’s basically is ranked after Nairobi and Mombasa in terms of the size. They even have their own newspaper in print, compiled by the people of Dadaab!

I have had the pleasure of talking to people working in this camp, both aid workers and volunteers and they have told me amazing stories from there! Both doom and gloom as well as the thriving stories. So much so that I cannot wait to go to this camp, and experience life there! If for nothing else, to get perspective on the camp itsself. Lucky for you, you can first view the stories at www.dadaabstories.org before heading there, thanks to Film Aid’s effort with Dadaab Stories.

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Handy Cleaning Tips

Coffee Stains In Mugs

I love my coffee mugs. I like them stain free. To remove that nasty brown ring inside, I use Wet a cloth. Put some baking soda and then rub the insidewith it. If the marks are stubborn, soaking overnight in hot water and baking soda helps.